Issues Raised With Proposed City Boundaries

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San Diego's political turf wars are coming to a head at City Hall, where a special commission that's drawn up new boundaries for Council districts convened its next-to-the last hearing Thursday.

After reviewing the proposals, many residents from all over town are unhappy campers.

It's a controversial, emotional process that happens every 10 years when political jurisdictions must re-balance populations among their districts based on updated census numbers.

There have been loud howls of protest from Penaquitos Park Village, which would be banished -- politically speaking -- from their neighbors in Rancho Penasquitos, to another district.

"We feel betrayed in a way, because we really were not given enough notice on this," said Judy Engle, a Park Village resident. "And when we do hear about it, it's almost after the fact."

Park Village has about 10,000 residents who live south of Highway 56, in District 5 along with the rest of Rancho Penasquitos.

Tentative redistricting maps have them being carved away into a new District 6, along with Mira Mesa, Kearny Mesa and other communities farther south.

They're in the Poway School District.

Their proposed new-district neighbors are in San Diego Unified.

Park Village community leaders say their priorities don't really square with those of the other, more numerous constituents of the Council member who'd represent them.

"The needs of the community are, oddly enough, different, and how we reflect ourselves as a community are different," saod Paul Hoover. "We're diverse community, and that's the section that's being divided out. We're unique in that we are a melting pot of ethnicities, but we are really one family."

Issues like this are being raised by other numerous other communities that face the prospect of political amputation or grafting.

The seven-member Redistricting Commission will hold its final hearing Aug. 25, and take a vote on the map proposals that emerge from Thursday's hearing.

Disgruntled parties can appeal, by way of referendum and the court of law.